Hi

I own a 1997 chevy blazer truck 4x4 and some of the times when i turn the wheel or go over a bump I get a poping sound from the drivers wheel .I was wondering if I have a bad ball joint in it or a bad tie rod end .

what would cause that sound in the wheels . also is it very hard to change out the ball joints on that truck . I can do the tie rods with no problems , but the ball joints another baby . Do I need to compress the spring on it . If my memory is right it like the ball joints on my 1979 buick regal I use to own . Its been a long time sence in changed a ball joint like this . Also how can I check the ball joint and know its bad .

 

Sounds like its either the ball joints, hub or cv. To check the hubs jack up the truck and grab the tire. Excessive east to west play is a bad hub. To check the ball joints do the same only going north, south. Sometimes you need to use a pry bar when checking the ball joints. Look over the cv boots really well for any holes or tears. Also look around the wheel well for signs of grease being thrown.
Replacing the ball joints can be a chore if you don't have access to air tools. The factory ball joints are riveted in so its easiest to use a pneumatic chisel to get the rivet heads off and then use a driver to punch out the rivets. The new ones just bolt in. There are more detailed write ups on the forum though.

 

Could also be sway bar bushings/endlinks.